This recipe started out as a Half Baked Harvest recipe my friend Meghan had made for dinner with some roasted lamb on top. Tony and I were shopping at Costco and found a lamb leg, and decided it would be great braised in red wine with this gnocchi slightly tweaked to our tastes. This recipe takes quite a bit of time to prepare, but it is a great Sunday fall/winter dinner!
Ingredients:
Lamb:
Bone-In Lamb Leg or Shoulder (~4.5 pounds)
1 bottle red wine
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 yellow onion, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Salt and pepper
Gnocchi:
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour, more as needed
1/4 cup Sartori Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
Sauce:
6 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 fresh sage leaves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup raw walnuts, chopped
salt and pepper
Whipped Ricotta:
1 cup whole milk ricotta
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Preparation:
1. Start by braising the meat - low and slow is the goal here. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. In a dutch oven, place onions and garlic at the bottom of the pan. Place lamb leg on top. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, rubbing the meat well. Pour in bottle of red wine. Cover.
2. Braise lamb for 3 hours. Once cooked, set aside to cool slightly. Shred lamb leg, discarding onions, garlic, and lamb bone. Set aside meat while making the gnocchi.
3. To make the gnocchi, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain.
4. Add the cauliflower to a food processor, blending until smooth.
5. In a large bowl mix 1 cup blended cauliflower, pumpkin, 2 1/2 cups flour, Parmesan cheese, egg, and salt. Stir until just combined. If dough it too wet, add a tablespoon more of flour at a time. Dough should be sticky.
6. Flour a clean counter space. Place dough on counter and split into 4 equal pieces. One piece at a time, roll dough into a 1-inch thick rope. Cut into bite size pieces with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Place pieces on a baking sheet dusted with flour. Repeat with remaining dough.
7. Dry gnocchi for a 1-3 hours, flipping half way through. I usually turn on the fan above my oven to speed up the process.
8. To make the whipped ricotta, add ricotta, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the food processor. Whip until smooth. Set aside to come to room temperate for serving.
9. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil gnocchi until they float to the top, about 4-5 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon to a bowl. This will take a few batches to cook. Reserve 1 cup of gnocchi cooking water.
10. To make the sauce, heat the butter, garlic, sage, and walnuts in a large skillet over medium heat. As butter starts to brown, remove the crispy sage from the pan and let cool on a paper towel. Save these for a garnish!
11. Add nutmeg and 1/4 cup of gnocchi cooking water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer. Add 1 cup shredded lamb, tossing to coat.
12. Add gnocchi to the sauce, tossing to combine. Add more reserved gnocchi cooking water if sauce thickens up too much.
13. To serve, spread whipped ricotta on the bottom of each plate. Top with gnocchi and lamb. Drizzle with extra pan sauces. Top with crispy sage. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Lamb:
Bone-In Lamb Leg or Shoulder (~4.5 pounds)
1 bottle red wine
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 yellow onion, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Salt and pepper
Gnocchi:
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour, more as needed
1/4 cup Sartori Parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
Sauce:
6 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 fresh sage leaves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup raw walnuts, chopped
salt and pepper
Whipped Ricotta:
1 cup whole milk ricotta
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Preparation:
1. Start by braising the meat - low and slow is the goal here. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees. In a dutch oven, place onions and garlic at the bottom of the pan. Place lamb leg on top. Season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, rubbing the meat well. Pour in bottle of red wine. Cover.
2. Braise lamb for 3 hours. Once cooked, set aside to cool slightly. Shred lamb leg, discarding onions, garlic, and lamb bone. Set aside meat while making the gnocchi.
3. To make the gnocchi, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain.
4. Add the cauliflower to a food processor, blending until smooth.
5. In a large bowl mix 1 cup blended cauliflower, pumpkin, 2 1/2 cups flour, Parmesan cheese, egg, and salt. Stir until just combined. If dough it too wet, add a tablespoon more of flour at a time. Dough should be sticky.
6. Flour a clean counter space. Place dough on counter and split into 4 equal pieces. One piece at a time, roll dough into a 1-inch thick rope. Cut into bite size pieces with a sharp knife or bench scraper. Place pieces on a baking sheet dusted with flour. Repeat with remaining dough.
7. Dry gnocchi for a 1-3 hours, flipping half way through. I usually turn on the fan above my oven to speed up the process.
8. To make the whipped ricotta, add ricotta, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the food processor. Whip until smooth. Set aside to come to room temperate for serving.
9. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil gnocchi until they float to the top, about 4-5 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon to a bowl. This will take a few batches to cook. Reserve 1 cup of gnocchi cooking water.
10. To make the sauce, heat the butter, garlic, sage, and walnuts in a large skillet over medium heat. As butter starts to brown, remove the crispy sage from the pan and let cool on a paper towel. Save these for a garnish!
11. Add nutmeg and 1/4 cup of gnocchi cooking water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer. Add 1 cup shredded lamb, tossing to coat.
12. Add gnocchi to the sauce, tossing to combine. Add more reserved gnocchi cooking water if sauce thickens up too much.
13. To serve, spread whipped ricotta on the bottom of each plate. Top with gnocchi and lamb. Drizzle with extra pan sauces. Top with crispy sage. Enjoy!